Raiders’ statement day

Raiders wide receiver Jacoby Ford issued a statement regarding the use of his likeness in an “Exxxotica Expo” event in Florida featuring pornographic materials:

“To all my fans, friends and family, I just want to clarify that I did not authorize the use of my name or likeness for the Exxxotica Expo event that took place in Miami. I was not at the event or even in the state of Florida when it took place. It’s unfortunate people don’t take the right steps to seek permission before using player’s names and it ends up
portraying my support for something I would never be involved with. I stand behind the NFL’s ongoing investigation and want to make sure everyone knows that these are not the types of events I would personally endorse. I look forward to playing football and doing my best for the Raider Nation!”

The event featured an ad with Ford, Chiefs defensive backs Brandon Flowers and Eric Berry, Bears safety Major Wright and Texans defensive back Kareem Jackson in their uniforms. All players have issued statements similar to that of Ford.

Meanwhile, cornerback Stanford Routt felt compelled to issue a statement clarifying remarks made in SiriusXM radio interviews regarding the Raiders’ nearly exclusive use of man-to-man defense:

“Stanford has strong belief in the team no matter what the plays are going to be,” his publicist said in a statement to the National Football Post. “The team makes no excuses.”

Routt’s statement is a testament to the clout of Profootballtalk.com, because it was issued within a couple of hours after PFT linked to an item in this blog about the Sirius interview under the headline: Routt on Raiders D: Everyone in the league knows what our game plan is”